Draven

Draven are a race short in stature, this cannot be denied. It is easy to dismiss them within this context, yet look at the marvels that they have created throughout the world. They are prideful, building massive ships and wooden structures, monuments to those of their number that achieved great things within in their lifetimes.

And why should they not build such things? They bring forth riches from the world unseen and long forgotten. Able bodied, they are fierce warriors and allies with a deep sense of loyalty for those they call friends. Dismiss or underestimate the Draven at your own peril.

Short of stature and broad of shoulder, the Draven are a people born of contradictions. Toilers under the earth, they are also shipwrights, building vessels that harness the winds and temper the stormy seas. The city of Ljosturon is home to some of these marvels to Draven ingenuity, their tall masts towering over most of the dwellings. The sight is a testament to their persistence. Where it concerns their endeavors, the Draven are a driven people. Whatever the hurdle, if they can find the will, they also find the way.

Often considered stubborn and crude by other races within the realm of Teiravon, this assessment is short sighted. The Draven do not go out of their way to be rude, they simply have no time to engage in the gentle pleasantries that would spare a soul its feelings. If it is truth you seek, the Draven will deliver it like a cudgel.

Like some of the other races of Teiravon, this realm was not always their home. Histories for the Draven are woefully incomplete, as they see no reason to bog themselves down with things outside of the here and now. This is not to say that they lack respect for their ancestors, quite to the contrary, they build monuments to and sing songs about great members of their communities. This kind of recognition is a driving force that propels all Draven to make every effort to leave their mark on the world. Queried about the lands of their origin, the average Draven will tell you that their people came to Teiravon on large ships that crossed a vengeful sea that crashed them upon these foreign shores. Determining the veracity of these claims is an impossibility, as the Draven have no desire to linger in the past. They came from another land–of this they seem certain–but the particulars including the name of their homeland seems irrelevant. For most historians exploring the origins of the Draven this seems disingenuous and wholly convenient, but now that they are generations removed from those original settlers, it seems a knowledge lost to time.

While the Draven are excellent craftsmen, as evidenced by their ships and their mining pursuits, they are also capable adventurers. They are a hearty and resilient lot, able to take a beating while also confounding their opponents with a strength that exceeds their size. Many a Draven has gone out into the world to seek fame and fortune adventuring. It is the fool who underestimates a Draven opponent. Wielding weapons sharp or blunt, garbed in armor or hiding behind shields all of which have been forged by smiths of reknown, a Draven possessed of a will to see you dead, will do whatever is necessary to see it done. Similarly, while few of their kind seek to engage in the arcane, those that do are adept. They are a people with an appreciation for the dirt and they revere the ley lines that traverse the depths. Many of their number find it sacrilege to bend the power of the land to their will, but those that do are exceedingly proficient at it. Whether it be their proximity to the ground, their reverence for the ley lines or their familiarity with the earthen deep, Draven that do embrace the art are more oft than not capable conduits.

Whether in battle or trade it is the fool that regards the Draven as a simple people. They are instead a rather complex lot. Friendships and trusts built with their kind are long lived and not forgotten – but so too are animosities. More insulting than a wound made in battle is a slight which occurs in commerce. A Draven would sooner suffer a cutthroat than a conman or a thief. They will deliver on a contract and likewise hold you to its letter. Trifle not with a merchant lest you find yourself blacklisted amongst the whole lot of them. A Draven will whisper praises – but will bellow animus. Consider yourself warned.